Pequdei – Accounts, Oversight
Shemot (Exodus) 38:21 – 40:38
Melekim Alef (I Kings) 7:40 – 8:21
Revelation 15:5-8
No one was allowed on the other side of the fireline where the fire was burning. Of all my duties with the Forest Service, fighting forest fires meant meeting the strictest protocols under the most authoritative regime to which everyone involved had to submit. Everyone is obliged by a strict dress code. Each tool and each piece of equipment must meet the code for firefighter standards. Everyone is required to follow orders at all times. Not following protocol or breaking the rules could result in serious injury or even death. The fear of the fire kept even the rowdiest of loggers in line.
His Holy Presence Requires Obedience
The fire by night and the cloud by day inside the Holy of Holies incited a holy fear of the Almighty among the children of Israel. YHWH Elohim demanded strict compliance with His protocol. Only certain personnel were allowed behind the veil to the Holy Place and only one priest, the high priest, was allowed inside the Holy of Holies, and only once per year. When packing up to break camp, even looking at the holy objects would prove fatal.
On the East side of the camp at the entrance to the Tabernacle, Judah and the sons of Aaron camped, overseeing the altar and other priestly services as ordered by YHWH.
No other objects made by man’s hands to represent this Holy God were acceptable. In the context of YHWH forbidding making graven images, we are given this reason:
For YHWH your Elohim is a consuming fire; He is a jealous Elohim. Deuteronomy 4:24
Like a wildfire consuming a forest, the jealous Elohim, a consuming fire, cannot be approached. His absolute holiness demands strict adherence to His will and obedience to His perfect Way. The glory of YHWH burned with an intense, pure white light to appear as a cloud by day and as a fire by night. The glory cloud was more than brilliant and radiant, it served as a tangible cover and protection over the entire camp, and later, over the temple mount. Although amid the people of Israel, to draw too close required a stricter and stricter protocol the closer you approached Him.
From the Torah to the Book of the Revelation of Yeshua, we see the common thread of His unapproachable fire, when the glory cloud filled His Dwelling Place.
Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of YHWH filled the tabernacle. Moses was not able to enter the tent of meeting because the cloud had settled on it, and the glory of YHWH filled the Tabernacle.
Exodus 40:34-35
It happened that when the priests came from the holy place, the cloud filled the house of YHWH so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of YHWH filled the house of YHWH.
1 Kings 8:10-11
And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from His power, and no one was able to enter the temple until the seven plagues of the seven angels were finished. Revelation 15:8
Who then can approach His holy throne? Of course, only the Holy One – Yeshua!
For Messiah did not enter into Holies made with hands – counterparts of the true things – but into heaven itself, now to appear in God’s presence on our behalf. Hebrews 9:24
Accountability and Achan - Cruisin’ for a Bruisin’
The first command of our Torah portion requires accountability with the Tabernacle.
This is pequdei (the number, accounts) of the things for the tabernacle, the tabernacle of the testimony, as they were puqad (numbered, counted, recorded) according to the command of Moses, for the service of the Levites, by the hand of Ithamar the son of Aaron the priest. Exodus 38:21
Were not Moses and Aaron and the spiritually gifted Betsalel and Oholiav trustworthy and accountable enough? Why did YHWH have them give an account of all the precious metals going into building the Tabernacle? After all, YHWH knew exactly what went into the building of His Dwelling Place.
To understand, look at the other side of the coin when years later, somebody in the camp of Israel was not accountable for the precious metals that he had acquired.
In the battle of Ai, 36 Israelite soldiers were killed and Ai had caused the rest to flee (Joshua 7). Joshua knew what went wrong. Someone had not given an account with the spoils of war he had taken under the ban. The culprit was a man named ‘Achan,’ whose name means ‘troubler.’ Once exposed, he confessed that he had coveted and taken a beautiful garment of Shinar, and gold and silver and had hidden them under his tent.
‘Ai’ is spelled ‘ayin, yod’ pictured in paleo Hebrew as an eye and a hand that grabs hold to possess something when the yod ends a word. That’s exactly what happens when we lose the battle of Ai, the battle of the eye. The hand grabs hold of what’s under the ban to make it one’s own. When the eye covets and the hand takes what does not belong to that person, the dictionary definition of ‘Ai’ results – a heap of ruins.’
Because he didn’t have the fear of Yah in his heart, Achan was “cruisin’ for a bruisin.”
Joshua declared big trouble to the troubler. Israel not only stoned Achan’s whole house but burned them with fire. YHWH then turned from His fierce anger. (Joshua 7:25-26)
It’s interesting that the first time the Dwelling Place is called ‘the Tabernacle of the Testimony’ is in this command for pequdei, to make an account. The word testimony, or witness, is ‘ahd’ spelled ayin, dalet. Simply put in paleo, ‘ahd’ means ‘an eye sees the door.’
‘Ahd’ is the root word for ‘me’od’ which means ‘an appointed time, a festival’, when festival keepers would be seen going through the door. There’s the righteous side of what to see with the eye – the Tabernacle revealing the work of the Messiah to redeem His people from their sins, including the lust of the eye. Keep your eye fixed on Yeshua!
Thrown in a River
Have you ever been ‘thrown for a loop’ or ‘thrown under the bus’? These idioms in part, picture the Hebrew word ‘to fear’ – ‘yirah.’ When I first started working for the Forest Service in hydrology, I waded into a river that threw me into fear that the swift current would grab hold and take me downriver! The Hebrew word ‘yirah’ pictures the hand of a man grabbing and throwing someone, like what a swift river can do.
That’s one reason I love baptisms, when wading into the current of living, running waters, those going into a baptism must overcome the fear of the river grabbing hold of them and drowning the immersed. The chilly grip of cold water in the Cascades is a fear to overcome as well!
But when we submit our everything, including being accountable for the sins we’ve committed against our Elohim, our great high priest Yeshua gives us the confidence and strength to face the hand of fear and to withstand its throwing power. Most people need someone to help them in and out of the water, like each one of us needs the Helper, the Holy Spirit, to drown out the old man and to rise up in the resurrection power of the Messiah.
Baptized and empowered by the Spirit at Pentecost, Peter announced the promise of the Father to everyone who wanted to get right with YHWH:
Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the Name of Yeshua the Messiah for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off, as many as YHWH our Elohim will call to Himself.”
Acts 2:38-39
Having received the promised gift of the Ruach HaQodesh, we are to continue to cleanse ourselves and work towards holiness, never losing the fear of YHWH Elohim.
Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.
2 Corinthians 7:1
From seeing a trickle of water to walking into it to the ankles, then deeper to his loins, Ezekiel measured out another thousand into a deep river that picked him up off his feet:
Again he measured a thousand; and it was a river that I could not ford, for the water had risen, enough water to swim in, a river that could not be forded. Ezekiel 47:5
Read the chapter. YHWH then showed His prophet the waters turning salt waters fresh, reviving the waters to teem with many fish. On the banks of the this river, all kinds of trees were bearing fruit continually for food, and their leaves for healing.
These are clear pictures of revival for the swimmers, for those who give themselves wholly to the hand of YHWH, not controlling their walk, but the hand of Yah carrying away in His will those who fear Him. Those are the ones who’ll be swept away in the end-times revival.
The Jordan, Yarden, begins with the same root as ‘yirah.’ Yarden – yar and den – can mean ‘to fear judgment’ when there will be an accounting. Its common meaning is ‘Descender.’ It pictures the soul descending in humility and fear of the Almighty Yah.
But for those who fear to not descend into the river at all, the waters become swamps and marshes that will not become fresh, but left for salt without life (Ezekiel 47:11).
From our Master’s teachings, how can we know we are in the river, not in a swamp?
What is Righteous Fear?
Yeshua gave His disciples a parable on pequdei, accounts, and oversight, to teach us what true and misguided fears are. In the parable of the Ten Talents (Mat 25:14-30), our Master taught us that those who immerse themselves in the flow of the business and commerce of His Kingdom operate according to true ‘yirah’ fear. Those who take their God-given talents, use and multiply them by immersing their lives in building up His Kingdom, will be rewarded with greater things in the Kingdom to come. Their ‘yirah’ is to enter into the throw and the flow of Kingdom work out of righteous fear for Elohim.
But the worthless slave who stagnates and buries his talent is thrown out by the wrath of the Master into outer darkness, not a river of joy, but worse than a swamp – a sad place of weeping and gnashing of teeth (Mat 25:28). The worthless servant had the wrong kind of fear, not entering into the righteous fear of Yah that throws one into His work.
‘And I was afraid and went away and hid your talent in the ground. See, you have what is yours.’ Matthew 25:25
That kind of fear we must discern and be careful not to enter.
What did Yeshua teach us to be the outcomes of operating under righteous and misguided fears?
“For to everyone who has, more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but from the one who does not have, even what he does have shall be taken away.” Matthew 25:29
That abundance He rewards His faithful servants will be like the abundance that Ezekiel saw with the river bringing healing and abundant life to fresh waters and fruitful trees.
For those of us who have felt stagnated, let us enter into the river of the Ruach HaQodesh and immerse ourselves in His Kingdom work. May salt waters be made fresh and alive!
Ezekiel had a measuring stick going into the River, which I believe represents that his encounter had to do with a true pattern of revival and that each one of His servants will be accountable for how far into His River we are willing to enter. In the end, the accounting will be like what Yeshua taught about in the Ten Talents.
What will the Kingdom work accomplish? After Ezekiel entered the river of revival with a measuring stick, the land and sea sprung up with abundant life (Ezek 47:13-23). Then the land was meted out to the twelve tribes of Israel. According to this pattern, Abba’s purpose for revival is to revive and restore the twelve tribes to the land of their inheritance. Oh, happy day! That’s the reward that will bring joy to His wise servants!
Entering Into Leviticus With Holy Fear
The next book of the Torah we are about to embark upon is known for its instructions on holiness. If we are to gain wisdom from it, we must regard our Elohim with a holy fear.
It is YHWH of hosts whom you should regard as holy. And He shall be your fear, and He shall be your dread. Isaiah 8:13
Hear the Word of YHWH, you who tremble at His Word. Your brethren who hate you, who cast you out for My Name’s sake, have said, “YHWH is glorified.” But He shall appear to your joy, but they shall be put to shame. Isaiah 66:5
There’s joy in the River! So enter in! Let the righteous fear of YHWH throw you into His Kingdom work, building up the body of Messiah so that all Israel would experience the abundant life!
May the twelve tribes be restored to their land, experiencing joy and the abundant life in Messiah!
BaShem Yeshuat Adonai,
David